Immortal
by XamemegamiX
Summary: This is a twin story to my other story, Mortal. Immortality isn't such a good thing, as seen through the eyes of Kagome in her final days. One-shot.


This is a twin story to my other story, Mortal, as seen through the eyes of Kagome rather than Inuyasha. It is also a slightly different plot, so the same things that happened in Mortal might not necessarily happen in this story. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters! Those all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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><p>Immortal<p>

Kagome put one aching hand to another and rubbed them together in a fruitless effort to attempt to rub away the arthritis that riddled them. She thought, for the billionth time, how much she wished she could still move through the well and have use of the medicines of the future once more. She remembered hearing that there had been creams and pills for the pain she was having in some commercial.

The well.

It had ceased working on the day that she had decided to return to the feudal era; the day that she had chosen Inuyasha over her family. Kagome frowned. She felt guilty whenever she worded it that way, but throughout the years, she had come to realize the truth of that statement. The wisdom of the choice that she had made in half a moment's time had come to her over the years. She thought of Souta and Gramps and how she hadn't even said goodbye to them. _The well had reopened. I was so afraid that if I left for even a second that it would close again. _

A streak of red caught her attention and she watched as Inuyasha came bounding towards her. His long silver hair billowed behind him in the wind. Her eyes lit upon his face, stuck at the age of twenty. She smiled to herself and remembered once more how she had chosen Inuyasha. She remembered the day that she had returned through the well and the first look on his face would forever be burned in her mind.

Kagome's memory dragged her back to their first conversation on that night. Inuyasha had patiently waited all day to drag her off alone, something that she was shocked by. Inuyasha and patience never did seem to belong in the same room, let alone the same thought. He had snagged her after dinner and hauled her up into the branches of the sacred tree. Once there, he positioned her in his lap, facing him. They had both stared off at the sun disappearing through the leaves of the tree, dying every thing a deep red.

_Kagome finally broke the silence, knowing that Inuyasha was rarely the one to first speak his mind. _

"_I'm so glad, Inuyasha," she whispered, leaning snuggly into his chest. He wrapped his warm arms around her, pulling her closer to him. At that moment in time, the emotional burden of her choice hadn't hit her. It didn't feel like she would never see her mother, Gramps, Souta, or any of her future friends ever again. She was just so happy to be with Inuyasha, that nothing else seemed to matter. _

"_Me too, Kagome." Neither one needed to elaborate on what they were glad for, since it was extremely obvious to them both. They were back together, after waiting three long years. _

"_I'm sorry, Inuyasha. It's my fault that the well stopped working," Kagome said, hiding her face within his shirt. She didn't want to see his face; didn't want to see the look of guilt reflected in his golden eyes. It surprised her when he chuckled. _

"_I doubt that Kagome. I know you, and nothing ever keeps you from doing what you want to do. Not even you." She pulled back, looking into his eyes. They seemed softer than she remembered, and she suddenly wondered what he had been through in the past three years. He held her gaze easily, his amber eyes cutting into her brown ones. _

"_Inuyasha…" _

"_Kagome," he cut her off softly and she fell silent. The look in his eyes stole any rebuttal from her lips. "Why did you choose me?" Kagome frowned. _

"_What do you mean?" The confusion was evident on her face. She expected Inuyasha to 'keh' and turn his face away, annoyed at her stupidity, but instead, he brushed her hair behind her ear and pulled her into his chest once more. She was shocked for a moment at how much more open he seemed to be with his emotions towards her. She remembered how the three years apart had taught her about her true feelings for him, so it shouldn't surprise her too much that Inuyasha had discovered the same thing about her. _

"_I tried to go through the well earlier. To…to thank your family for watching after you for those three years, but…well…" He stopped, seeming at a loss for words. Kagome remained silent, allowing him to discover the words himself. She knew what he was going to say and a distant pang of sadness hit her. She didn't realize then that it was a fraction of the pain that she was going to feel in the future. "The well doesn't work anymore. But I suppose you knew that, even when you decided to jump in." _

"_Yes, I knew that it would only work one last time." It had seemed like the natural choice to her, so why was he questioning it? Didn't he still want to be with her? _

"_So, why did you choose me? Over the safety and comforts of your time? Over your own family? Me, just a lowly hanyou," Inuyasha's voice sounded sad and confused. He spit out the last word like it was a poison on his tongue. Kagome was glad that he couldn't see the shock that lit up her face. Anger followed immediately after and she pushed herself away from him once more. _

"_Don't you ever call yourself that again, Inuyasha!" Her voice rose in pitch as she scolded him. "You are anything but a lowly hanyou! You are amazing and strong and courageous! And I chose you because I love you! I. Love. You, Inuyasha. You! Hanyou you!" _

_The look on Inuyasha's face was priceless. His mouth hung open slightly at her outburst and his eyes twinkled dangerously. She could see some of the Inuyasha that she knew in that moment. He looked instantly ready to argue with her, simply because she had raised her voice. The dangerous look on his face disappeared when he finally heard the words that she had said. _

"_Ka-" _

"_My time wasn't home to me anymore, Inuyasha. My home is with you. Wherever you are is where I will choose to be. Every time." Kagome finally fell silent and watched Inuyasha carefully. She could feel her face burning with a red that probably matched the red tint that coated Inuyasha's face. Every thought in her mind went blank when, suddenly, his lips were upon hers. _

_It all came naturally from that moment on. She leaned into him and knotted her fists into anything that she could get her hands on-his shirt, his hair, the rosary beads that he never stopped wearing. His arms wrapped around her and crushed her as close to him as possible, deepening the kiss and enveloping her in his warmth. _

Kagome caught her reflection in the water where she was washing clothes. A light pink tinged on her cheeks at the memory. Some things would never change, like how embarrassed her and Inuyasha still got. It wasn't something that she ever wanted to change. He could still manage to give her butterflies and make her nervous. He still hated to show too much emotion to anyone other than her as well. Even after all the years they spent with their friends, the most he would do in public was hold her hand firmly in his own. She gently ran her now-gnarled fingers over the light wrinkles that had taken over her face.

She sighed lightly and gathered the wet clothing into a basket. Aging wasn't something that she was happy for, but as she turned and watched as Inuyasha slowed to a walk and approached her, she realized that her husband's burden was much worse. He had the burden of immortality, and was forced to watch as everyone around him aged and died.

Tucking the basket of clothing under one arm, Kagome smiled brightly and walked forward to meet Inuyasha. A similar smile grew on his face as well. Reaching out a hand, he quickly stole the basket from her and tucked it under his own arm. Before she could protest, he quickly took her hand in his own, rubbing his thumb comfortingly over her fingers.

The couple walked in comfortable silence back to the village. Kagome couldn't keep the smile off of her face, and the pain that she had felt earlier seemed to fade to the back of her mind. Inuyasha had always had that effect on her. Sighing contentedly, the miko leaned into her hanyou husband and he wrapped his arm tightly around her shoulders.

Kagome carefully hung the wet clothing that she had washed upon the wire that was strung up by her hut. She remembered the summer when Inuyasha built it, finally deciding that Kaede's hut just wasn't big enough to house everyone anymore. Miroku had built a hut for himself and Sango that year as well, both deciding that Kaede's village was their home as well. Kohaku had taken to living at the old taijita village, but it held too many painful memories for Sango to reside there. Besides, after all the adventures that they had been through, it was no wonder that this village felt more like home than anywhere else on the continent.

The summer after she returned was one of the happiest of her life. It was filled with friendship and love. Miroku and Sango had gotten married and Inuyasha claimed Kagome as his mate. She felt her face grow warm at the thought and she quickly busied herself with the laundry once more, feeling Inuyasha's gaze bearing into her back.

Kagome's back was killing her by the time the day's chores were done. She finished the day by trudging dutifully up the shrine's stairs, pink flowers grasped tightly in her hands. It was until she reached halfway up the stairs that Inuyasha's pestered her once more. She was surprised that he lasted that long.

"Kagome, are you sure that you don't want me to carry you?" It was the third time that he had asked her that question in the past hour alone. She turned towards him and gave him another glare.

"I can walk just fine myself, thank you very much!" Putting her hands on her hips, Kagome 'humphed' and turned her head away from the hanyou, her nose held high in the air.

"Stupid, proud wench," Inuyasha muttered, trying his hardest to keep a smile from growing on his lips. She could hear the smile in his voice though, and Kagome glared at him from underneath her eyelashes, her resolve wavering at the half smile that was now on his face. She broke out in a grin, giggling like she used to when she was young. Inuyasha also had that effect on her. He was sure good at making her feel like she was still young, even though she was anything but.

Kagome reached the top of the shrine and the smile left her face. Her eyes lit upon a small row of graves. They all belonged to people that were special to her. She visited them one by one, laying down the flowers and offering a small prayer for each person.

The first grave belonged to Kikyo, having been put there by Kaede many years before. After she had fallen in an attempt to defeat Naraku, everything had been left to Kagome. She remembered watching solemnly as Inuyasha held Kikyo and said goodbye, tears flowing down his face. Tears had stained her face as well, feeling both intense pain for her hanyou and immense guilt for the feelings she had felt for Kikyo. In the end, Kikyo had died to help them. She had even sacrificed the light that she had placed in the sacred jewel shard in order to save Kohaku's life.

Kagome remembered the horror she felt towards herself when she felt a twinge of jealousy over the immense amount of tears that Inuyasha, a person who normally would never cry, was shedding over Kikyo. It was a jealousy that she carried with herself for many years, until the topic was finally breached with Inuyasha.

_Kagome found herself crying in the woods over another insensitive thing that Inuyasha had said. Even though they were mates, he still hurt her with his words sometimes. They had gotten into a fight and she had yelled at him that she was sorry that she wasn't Kikyo and that she wasn't worth the waterfall of tears that he had shed for the other woman. _

_She had seen the hurt in his eyes, but couldn't stop the words that poured out of her mouth. He was just so aggravating sometimes! It was hard to let her anger towards him out, now that she had removed the sit spell from the rosary. Even without the spell, Inuyasha still wore it._

_The young miko jumped as a twig snapped behind her. Whirling around, all of her breath left her lungs at the sight of the hanyou in front of her. The angry look that was on his face had faded, replaced by a look of sadness and pensive wonder. He calmly stared at the woman before him and watched as she averted her eyes._

"_Inuyasha, I'm sorry, I didn't-"_

"_Kagome," he said gently, cutting her off. "Do you know why I cried so much for Kikyo the night that she died?" Kagome lifted her gaze from the ground, shock evident in her eyes. She shook her head once causing her dark tresses to whip around her head. _

"_I was only able to cry for Kikyo because of you." Seeing Kagome begin to open her mouth to question him, Inuyasha shot her a look, effectively cutting her off. He continued with his explanation. "You taught me that it is okay to cry, that it is ok to care about people. You have taught me that loving someone isn't a weakness. Kagome, if you recall, the first time that I cried was when I thought I had lost you."_

_Kagome stared for a moment at the light blush that coated Inuyasha's face at his emotional explanation before tears began to trickle from her eyes. Inuyasha wasted no time in gathering her up within his arms. Guilt flooded her body and she simply sobbed into Inuyasha's chest, feeling a sense of relief at having gotten her last feelings of jealousy out into the open. Inuyasha awkwardly patted her back; if there was one thing that Inuyasha hated more than anything in the world, it was tears. _

The next grave belonged to Kaede. She had passed away late one night in her sleep, which Kagome had explained to everyone was the most peaceful way a person could die. They all took solace in the fact that Kaede had died without pain. She had also lived a long and fulfilling life, but she was a dear person to them. Her wisdom and aid had been just as crucial to defeating Naraku as Sango's Hirakotsu or Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga. She was the reason that they had all grown to call this village home. Kagome remembered the tears in Inuyasha's eyes on the day of Kaede's funeral pyre. It was an image that she would never be able to forget.

She often wondered if Inuyasha would look the same on the day that she died. He always tried to maintain a tough front, but she was able to see through his aggression and anger to the true hurt underneath. _When I'm gone, who is going to see the real you, Inuyasha? _

Kagome continued laying flowers upon the graves, remembering all of her lost friends. _Sango, my dear sister. And Miroku, you perverted letch. _A smile lit on her face at the remembrance of all the crazy things that they did when they were young. A giggle escaped her lips when she remembered how Miroku used to rub Sango's bottom and how she would waste no time introducing her hand to his face or her Hirakotsu to his head.

The giggle earned her a curious look from Inuyasha. She laughed more when his ears twitched towards her. She felt young once more as she was reliving memories from the past.

"Hey, baka. You aren't supposed to laugh when you're putting flowers on dead people's graves," Inuyasha mumbled, but she could tell from the look in his eyes that he was joking with her. Her assumption was further proven when a small smile grew on his face.

"Come on, you crazy woman," Inuyasha snorted as he grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet. He knew better than to carry her, and she continued to smile as he sighed while she walked slowly and painfully down the shrine steps. She heard him grumble to himself every time a wince accidentally escaped her lips, but he knew better than to say anything about it.

Her mind drifted once more to the past and her friends, but this time, her smile turned into a frown. Sometimes being mortal felt like a curse. She had lived an abnormally long time for someone in the feudal era, and had been forced to watch as all of the people she knew died away one by one. _Except Inuyasha. As bad as it is for me, it is going to be worse for him._

"Hey! Kagome!" A deep voice cut through her thoughts and she smiled once more, the skin around her eyes crinkling in the merriment of the young woman she had once been. _Oh, and Shippo too!_

The sudden gust of wind whipped her hair out of its ties as Inuyasha stepped close to Kagome and wrapped an arm firmly around her waist. Kagome smiled affectionately. _Now that Shippo is a grown demon, Inuyasha gets possessive whenever he comes around. _

"Hey, Inuyasha! What are you doing letting such an old woman walk down so many steps?" Shippo appeared out of the windstorm and appraised the two before him. He had that mischievous glint in his eye that he always had whenever he was picking on Inuyasha. _Some things will never change. _

"Watch your mouth runt! Who ya callin' old?" Inuyasha immediately stepped up to the defense of Kagome and what he would call her 'honor'. She simply shook her head, her formerly black tresses that now almost matched Inuyasha's silver hair danced lightly around her face. _I am old, Inuyasha. We both know that. _

"Oh that's right. You must be pushing 300 by now, eh dog-boy?" Shippo continued to smile as Inuyasha jumped at him, swiping his claws at the young demon. Shippo disappeared with a 'pop'. Inuyasha jumped around the shrine, shaking his fist in an intimidating matter towards the woods around him. Kagome watched with interest as he shouted the fox demon's name in anger.

"So, when are you going to make yourself visible to him once more, Shippo?" Kagome muttered to the demon that was once a child. She sensed him standing behind her, but was enjoying the show too much to alert Inuyasha to his presence. She watched as her husband scoured the woods and village, a fair distance from where she was standing.

"Kagome, here!" The old miko turned around and gasped with child-like glee. There stood Shippo. His orange hair was longer now, but remained tied with a simple thong of leather, rather than his old bow. He was now taller than Kagome, but he still had his giant emerald eyes, and they still sparkled with childish merriment. He wore a simple white shirt and pants with a fur vest. At his waist was a simple katana as well as several pouches that contained various tricks. In his paws, he held a simple pink rose; he knew that it was Kagome's favorite flower.

"Thank you, Shippo!" Kagome gratefully took the rose from his hands and held it to her nose, taking in its sweet scent. She laughed as Shippo wrapped his arms around her shoulders. It seemed like only yesterday that he was riding her shoulder and needing to be comforted. He planted a quick kiss on her lips before a blur of red caught her attention. Shippo took his arm from her shoulder and made sure he was a step away from the miko.

"There you are, you little runt!" Inuyasha raised his hand into a fist and looked as if he was about to punch Shippo on the head like he used to when Shippo was merely a kit. He stopped short when he met Kagome's eyes. Her mind had drifted to the past once more, where it had been a lot recently. She knew that he was reading her face like a book, so she forced a smile to her cracked lips.

"Come. I will make us all some dinner," she stated simply, taking Inuyasha's hand in her own when she passed him. She felt his timeless, youthful hand squeeze her wrinkled aged fingers tightly, and she mentally sighed. Even at moments like this, she didn't feel like Inuyasha was lucky. But she knew that he wouldn't want her feeling any pity for him either. It hurt her to think it aloud, but the thought permeated her mind before she could stop it. _Inuyasha is going to be alone again, once I die. And there isn't anything that I can do about it. _

Kagome diligently washed the dishes after everyone had full stomachs from dinner. Inuyasha dried them and Shippo put them away. Idle chitchat was the only thing that broke through the silence of the hut as Shippo updated them on his latest adventures and conquests. Kagome laughed when his face turned pink as he described a female demon that he had grown quite enamored over and Inuyasha scoffed, which caused another fight between the two.

Laughing, Kagome realized how tired she was suddenly. It wasn't like normal nights where it was a healthy exhaustion after a long day's work. It felt different than that and fear permeated her when she realized what was happening. Even taking one more step seemed like too much effort. With a small sigh, Kagome slumped against the nearest wall. Inuyasha immediately stopped his bickering and made his way to his mate. As his nose twitched, she knew that he could smell her fear. It took over in his eyes as well.

"Inu…Yasha…" Kagome moaned his name in exhaustion and pain and it reminded her of their adventuring days. Like the time he had saved her from the dark priestess and the time that she exclaimed her feelings of love towards Inuyasha out loud to Naraku's infant and shortly afterward, Inuyasha himself had burst through the hut to save her. She had collapsed into his arms, whispering his name as she fainted. This felt like one of those times, only, somehow, she knew there would be no waking up after this. Her time had come, she knew. _I never imagined that it would come on so suddenly. Is this how it was for you, Miroku, Sango, and Kaede? _

Inuyasha said nothing as he gathered her into his arms. She felt the strength of his muscles around her and for once, she didn't object as he carried her to their shared bed. Shippo hung back in the common room of their hut, but she sensed that he didn't leave. _I'm glad I got to see him one last time…_

"Kagome…" Her husband whispered her name as he laid her down gently. She watched him through weary eyes as he gently stroked her hair. She looked deep into his golden eyes and watched as he gazed deep into her eyes as well.

"Kagome, your eyes have never changed. They look as youthful as they did since the first day I saw you," Inuyasha said, brushing one last lock of hair away from her face. She managed a bright smile and was rewarded when Inuyasha smiled back. "It's time, isn't it?" She watched as his smile faded and tears grew in his eyes, turning them to liquid gold. She grabbed his hand and held it tightly within her own.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry," she said between gasps of pain. The creakiness of her bones turned into full-blown aches and even simply breathing turned into a chore.

"Sorry for what, Kagome?" Inuyasha wrapped his mate in his arms, holding her close as he leaned against the wall.

"I'm sorry that I am leaving you all alone," she whispered, as tears rolled down her wrinkled cheeks. Inuyasha swiftly wiped them away, letting a thumb linger and stroke her face. He shook his head and she watched as his silvery locks of hair swayed back and forth.

"Don't be, you baka. I'd gladly be alone for the rest of my life just to spend a second with you." Before he could say more, Kagome grabbed hold of one of his forelocks and pulled him down into one last deep kiss. All at once, she felt like she was young once more. She imagined the star-lit sky above her as they lounged in the boughs of the sacred tree. She could feel a deep peacefulness set in her as the pain faded. She gripped Inuyasha's hand with a strength that she thought she had lost to age. She felt herself letting go as Inuyasha pressed her close to him, like he had done the night that she returned from her era. With one last sigh, Kagome let herself fade into whatever adventure was yet to come. She sighed the words "I love you," one last time before everything went dark and the world slowly faded away. Through the darkness, she heard Inuyasha's voice for the last time in the mortal realm.

"I love you too, Kagome. Always and forever."

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><p>Uber sad, I know! But I warned you!<p>

Also, I am sorry if it seems like Kagome died suddenly, but sadly, that is how it usually is in real life, so I figured that it should be like that in this story. I didn't want to make you all suffer completely as Kagome slowly got worse and worse. That would have dragged on forever! Plus, I feel like Kagome is the sort of strong person that would fight through the pain until the bitter end!

Thank you for reading! Reviewing would make me ever so happy and would motivate me to keep working on the sequal to _A Simple Wish_! Have a fabulous week, all!


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